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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25472590">Till the Fire Burns Out</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/savanting/pseuds/savanting'>savanting</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, One Shot, Pre-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Prompt Fic, a bit OOC, kissing fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:47:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,451</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25472590</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/savanting/pseuds/savanting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey finds herself trapped with Kylo Ren and no way out. One-Shot. (Originally Posted on LiveJournal 01/23/2016)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Till the Fire Burns Out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I do not own Stars Wars or its characters. This was written way, way back for a prompt asking for a fic about Kylo Ren and Rey kissing in front of a fireplace. I hope it’s still enjoyable since it was fun to write back in the day!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hoth was so very, very cold. Rey didn’t know how she could stand it. Her bones were accustomed to the heat and dryness of Jakku, so Hoth was a bitter revelation. She huddled deeper into the heavy coat that Finn had given her before she set off on this solitary journey.</p><p>“Be careful,” Finn had said when he placed the billowing material in her arms. “You can’t swing a lightsaber at the cold.”</p><p>“I don’t plan on dying, Finn,” she had replied, still prone to being huffy and resistant whenever anyone tried to take care of her.</p><p>“Good. Keep it that way.” Then he had leant in to brush a quick kiss against her cheek, and she had found herself grinning as she made her way to the Falcon that had been waiting for her.</p><p>Chewbacca had noted her grin with a roar. She had been sure the Wookie would have whistled if he could have.</p><p>“We’re just friends,” she had said, flushing under the creature’s scrutiny. “He was wishing me a safe trip.”</p><p>The Wookie looked at her pointedly, and after a moment she had to laugh. It was so absurd.</p><p>“All right,” she said. “Maybe there’s something else there too, I don’t know.” </p><p>Arriving on Hoth, she had been instructed to go to the remnants of the rebel base that had been abandoned there during the Battle of Hoth over thirty years past. Though the base couldn’t be used again—it was too well-known of a place to the First Order—the Resistance wanted the place to be scoured for possible battle plans that could be used in the war ahead. Even leftover droids could be of use. Rey knew it was just a way to get her out of the way for now—she was still of little use since she was just a Jedi in training—but Luke had assured her that every little bit helped the Resistance. He would have come himself, but General Organa wasn’t too keen on seeing her brother stray too far from her sight after the disappearing act he had pulled. Rey couldn’t really blame the general.</p><p>Somehow Rey had convinced Chewbacca to stay with the Falcon and look for her if a day had passed without word from her through comm. Hoth was a treacherous place, known for its haphazard blizzards that could start up without much notice, and for all she knew she could get caught up in a snowstorm. Not that she knew what that was exactly, but she imagined a sandstorm made of snow instead.</p><p>What she wasn’t prepared for was how <i>white</i> the planet was. While Takodana had astounded her with its amount of green, she was surprised at how blank and remote Hoth was in comparison. She truly was seeing the galaxy in all its various shades.</p><p><i>And you’ll only see more,</i> she assured herself. <i>Just get back to Luke, Finn, and the others as soon as possible.</i></p><p>She was sure if she wasn’t careful she would end up as an ice maiden.</p><p>The abandoned rebel base offered little intel that she was sure hadn’t already been archived away somewhere. Disappointed, she traversed the various underground tunnels, and soon she became worried that she would lose her way in the ice maze forever.</p><p>Just then, a message came through on her comm from Chewbacca. The Wookie’s voice was frantic over the link.</p><p>“Calm down!” she said. “What happened—?”</p><p>She heard a blast from far above her, and she nearly dropped the comm in shock. The First Order had come <i>here</i> of all places? But why?<br/>

</p>
<p>Rey could think of only one reason why the First Order would have trailed them here—and his name was Kylo Ren.</p><p>Too late, she heard the ignition of a lightsaber, and she turned quickly, grabbing her own saber from her belt and thumbing it to life. Her timing was impeccable because her blue saber clashed right at that moment with the red lightsaber that she remembered from her waking nightmares.</p><p>“Swift as ever, I see,” Kylo Ren said through his mask, different from the one she remembered he had lost at Starkiller Base. He might have almost sounded amused.</p><p>“You’re a savage sight, as usual,” she quipped. “Come to finish what you started?”</p><p>“Always,” he said as he stepped forward, his blade warring against hers, and she had to do everything to remain on the defensive. This wasn’t the wounded man she had fought in that snowy forest all those months back. This was a full-fledged warrior who wanted her captured dead or alive.</p><p>Rey could hear the sound of racing footsteps—stormtroopers coming their way. She was losing her focus, her attention pulled in so many different directions, and she was certain she would go down without a fight if she wasn’t careful—</p><p>Something must have happened with all the commotion throughout the abandoned base because just then a rumbling echoed through the underground tunnels. She wasn’t certain where it was coming from, but it didn’t sound good.</p><p>“Get out of the way!” Kylo Ren’s metallic voice suddenly jolted through her, and she backed up just in time to see the ceiling above them collapse behind Kylo Ren.</p><p>Now—now she was definitely trapped.</p><p>*</p><p>The first thing that surprised her was that Kylo Ren shut off his lightsaber immediately after they were trapped in one of the corridors of the base’s underground tunnel system. The turnaround left her wary but defensive, still holding up her lightsaber as if she were ready for certain attack.</p><p>“You can put that away,” he said in a tone that came off as disgusted even through the mask. “Obviously neither of us are going anywhere until we find a way out.”</p><p>Slowly, she nodded, but it was still a moment before she powered off her lightsaber. “What now?” she asked.</p><p>“Now, scavenger, we search for a way out,” he said before striding past her to another corridor. She didn’t know whether to follow him or not—but what choice did she have? She had heard that even enemies could become allies in dire circumstances. This was one of those times.</p><p>After another moment, she pursued him through the depths of the abandoned Hoth base…</p><p>*</p><p>“If you had been smart, you wouldn’t have taken this mission,” he said as they walked, almost as if he were trying to converse with her.</p><p>“I don’t need to hear advice from <i>you</i>,” she said.</p><p>“One would think you would have been supplied with blueprints of the tunnel system beforehand. Unless the Resistance is as lax as I believe them to be.”</p><p>“And where are <i>your</i> blueprints, commander of the First Order?”</p><p>Kylo Ren had nothing to say at that.</p><p>*</p><p>“Let’s stop here,” Kylo Ren said after they had delved deeply enough into the tunnel system that they had encountered the lodging areas for the Rebellion fighters. Though the place was still a wreck, they had chanced upon an area that seemed to have been sleeping quarters for a commanding officer. There was even a fireplace near the back of the room. She could see why: the temperature had dropped starkly as they had continued downward in their search for another exit point.</p><p>“Why, are you tired?” she asked, still annoyed by the anonymity of his mask.</p><p>“Hardly,” he said, “though I doubt you can say the same.”</p><p>She <i>was</i> tired, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. Instead of answering, she took the nearby wall as her position, making sure her back wasn’t open to attack.</p><p>On the opposite side of the room, Kylo Ren did the same.</p><p>*</p><p>It was an hour before Kylo Ren took of his mask. Rey supposed he wasn’t accustomed to wearing it for long periods of time. Just as she had assumed, the mask was just meant to be a point of intimidation and a way to hide his far-too-telling face.</p><p>As for that face…</p><p>She was startled by the appearance of the scar slashed across his face. That was right. <i>She</i> had given it to him, hadn’t she? She had nearly forgotten…</p><p>It did add a certain suave quality to his face, she thought.</p><p>“What?” he asked defensively when he saw her looking at him.</p><p>“Nothing,” she said, glancing away, but she could swear she saw him smile a little. As if he found her amusing in spite of himself.</p><p>*</p><p>Another two hours passed before Rey finally succumbed to going to the fireplace and looking for the remnants of items to make a fire blaze.</p><p>It took her three tries—and a little help from her new always-handy survival kit that she had stashed away in her pack—but she managed to make a small fire. It would do little to heat the large room—that’s what the electric heaters were for—but at least she would do more than huddle down in her coat.</p><p>It wasn’t long before Kylo Ren succumbed to the temptation of the welcome heat and settled down beside her, though the two were still far away enough from each other to uphold the adversarial relationship between them.</p><p>*</p><p>Three hours passed in silence before Kylo Ren said, softly, “I heard from reports that you’re training to become a Jedi.”</p><p>Rey resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Obviously,” she said, gesturing to the lightsaber on her belt. It was a wonder she hadn’t touched it in the hours she had spent with him so far, but he had given her little reason to use it aside from the occasional annoying sigh from his end of the fireplace.</p><p>“You’ve gotten along farther than I did,” he said, and this time she met his gaze. “I couldn’t stand my uncle.”</p><p>“Why? Because he’s not a Darth Vader clone?”</p><p>“Because he’s never been tempted,” Kylo Ren said flatly. “He doesn’t know what it’s like to covet something with all his being, even if he knows it’s wrong.”</p><p>“Obviously you’re speaking from experience,” she murmured.</p><p>“Don’t act so innocent,” he said. “You feel it too.”</p><p>The words jarred her, an echo of another time, another conflict. <i>Don’t be afraid. I feel it too.</i> “What?”</p><p>“You know what it’s like to be tempted,” he said, and he was leaning across the distance between them, as if willing her to take his words to heart. “The darkness calls to you.”</p><p>“Don’t,” she spat out. She met his intent gaze with fury. Somehow she now found herself bridging the distance between them as well. “Don’t make it sound like we’re similar.”</p><p>“Aren’t we?” He inclined his head towards her, leaning more into her personal space. “You wanted to kill me. You still want to kill me. It bleeds off you in waves.”</p><p>“You want to kill me too,” she said, though she was unsure how true the words were. Especially when he was so close, all the antagonism coming from her alone.</p><p>“No,” he said with a slight shake of his head. Infuriatingly, his dark eyes were still intent on her, and she wouldn’t waver by dropping her gaze. “I’ve never wanted to kill you.”</p><p>“Then what do you want?” she found herself asking, curiosity burning. He was an enigma, and that made her want to unravel his secrets until he was lying bare and open before her, all the more vulnerable. An enemy known was a weakened enemy.</p><p>“That,” he said, “is a good question.”</p><p>Then, before she could think to stop him, he had leant into her space further. She was reminded of the kiss brushed against her cheek just hours before, when a far different man had closed the distance between them. But still she didn’t recoil, didn’t fight, didn’t retaliate. She was too curious about just what <i>this</i> man would do.</p><p>Their noses brushed against each other before Kylo Ren claimed her lips with his own. The kiss was hesitant, a question in and of itself, and Rey didn’t know how to answer. She thought to push him away, to get up and chance her way through the depths of what was left of the abandoned rebel base. A part of her wanted to flee and never look back. But a greater part of her was still too curious for her own good.</p><p><i>You know what it’s like to be tempted,</i> he had said just minutes ago. And she was tempted by something she had never thought possible: Kylo Ren himself.</p><p>Slowly, she answered his kiss with one of her own. Her mouth was clumsy against his, but he didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he responded with more fervor, as if her kiss was just the push he needed to invade her senses. Their tongues clashed, not unlike how their lightsaber duel had gone, but it was a battle that was far more enjoyable than Rey would have thought. There was no winning—just losing herself in the sensation of his mouth on hers.</p><p>It was dangerous and thrilling—and she found that she liked it.</p><p>Next were their hands exploring each other—they chuckled in each other’s mouths as Rey shrugged out of her mammoth coat—and Kylo’s own upper garments came off, revealing a scarred torso that made her give pause for a moment. He watched her silently as she ran her hands over the scars. Then, before she could even think of what the gesture might mean to him, she brushed her lips against the scar that he had received by her own hand. He closed his eyes and breathed out. It was a long moment before either of them moved.</p><p>When Rey shifted, almost as if she were going to pull away, Kylo wrapped a hand around her wrist and pulled her closer.</p><p>“Now that I have you, do you really think I’m going to let you go, scavenger?” he whispered in a husky voice, and a shiver thrilled down her spine. When they were out of here, she would have to consider the meaning behind such words, but right now she just wanted the promise they meant in the present.</p><p>After…well, she would think of after later.</p><p>“Call me Rey,” she said almost automatically. His calling her “scavenger”—that sounded so impersonal. Whatever this was between them, she wanted something…more.</p><p>“Rey,” he said, a small smile crossing his features. “How about we call a truce?”</p><p>“I thought that’s what we were already doing,” she admitted.</p><p>She was surprised to see him roll his eyes. “Officially, I mean.”</p><p>Rey glanced over at the burning fire in the center of the room. “Till the fire burns out.”</p><p>“Till the fire burns out,” he agreed.</p><p>Then their lips met anew as the fire burned on…</p>
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